Rotary engine.



W. D. QUIGLEY & P. MEYER. ROTARY ENGINE.

91 APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1908. Patented Apr. 13,

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UNITED sTAaTns raTnnT orrrcn WILLIAM D. QUIGLEY AND PETER MEYER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Application filed April 1, 1908. Serial No. 424,511.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IVILLIAAL D. Quie- LE)? and PETER ILnrnn, citizens of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to rotary engines and consists in an engine having an annular working chamber provided with steam inlet. and exhaust ports, a swinging piston, and a movable mein er disposed in said chamber and forming both an abutment for the steam following the piston, and a valve operated by said piston for controlling the admission of steam.

T he invention further consists in the construction whereby after the said valve is released to permit steam to enter the chamber, and begins to operate as an abutment, a steam tight joint formed between the piston and the chamber wall, whereby, for a predetermined period, steam is prevented from passing to the chamber space on the front side of the piston.

The invention further consists in the various combinations pointed out in the claims.

I11 the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is an elevation of our rotary engine showing the shaft in section and the side wall t removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the position of abutment and piston ust after the beginning of the piston stroke. Fig. 4. is a similar view showing the position of abutment and piston near the end of the stroke, and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the position of abutment and piston at the end of the stroke. Fig. 6 is a similar view enlarged, showing the position of the piston after the abutment has been released and while the piston is retained against its supporting cam projection, whereby, for a. predetermined period, steam is prevented from flowing from the inlet port past said piston to the chamber space on the front side thereof.

Similar numbers of reference indicate like parts.

The stationary outer circumferential wall 1 of the working chamber 12 may be cast integral with the supporting bed 2. On each side of said wall 1 are bolted annular plates 3, 4-. Said plates are solid for a certain distance radially inward and then are made spider shape with arms 5 inclined outwardly.

Said arms carry central bearings 7 for the shaft 8, fast upon which shaft is the hub 9, from which extend radial arms 10 which carry the piston supporting ring 11. Said ring 11, which forms the inner circumferential wall of the working chamber, 1 ts steam tight between the annular plates 3,

On the inner periphery of wall 1 is formed a cam projection 13. The steam inlet passage la and the exhaust passage are disposed relatively parallel and extend through the wall 1 and the cam projection 13 and communicate with the chamber 12. Pivoted to the cam projection 13 between the inlet and exhaust ports and extending transversely across the chamber 12 is a swinging abutment 16, which when in raised position enters a recess 17 formed at the inner extremity of the inlet passage 11:, (see Fig. 6).

()n the piston ring 11 is a cam projection 18, near the edge of which is pivoted the swinging piston 19, which, like the abutment 16, also extends across the chamber 12. The outer surface of the cam projection 18 is suitably recessed toreceive the piston 19, when said piston is in closed position. A curved duct in cam projection 18 permits steam to pass from. the chamber 12 to the lower side of the piston 19. The abutment 16 is rounded on its lower edge 21 and the piston 19 is rounded at its upper edge 22.

The operation of the engine is as follows: -When the piston 19 runs under the abutment 16 (see Fig. 5), it is forced by that abutment against the surface of cam projection 18 which, as'stated, is suitably recessed or otherwise formed to receive it. Similarly the abutment 16 is moved outwardly by the piston 19 so as to become seated in the recess 1?, and thus completely. to close the inlet port 14. So that, at this time, the member 16 is in fact a valve which is operated by the piston to shut off entrance of steam to the working chamber. As the rear edge of the piston runs clear of the abutment, the steam pressure acting on the upper side thereof opens the inlet l t, the rounded edge 21 of the abutment finally getting a bearing -on the periphery of piston ring 11. As soon as the edge 21 clears the entrance to the curved passage 20, the steam acts on the under side of piston 19, but it cannot imme diately raise that piston because of the part 97 of the cam projection 13, which part 27 is formed on one side of the recess 17. As will be plain from the enlarged view Fig. 6

this part 27 holds the piston 19 against the outer face of cam projection 18 and forms a joint with the outer surface of said piston whereby steam now entering at port 1 1 is prevented from flowing directly past said piston to the space 28 in the annular chamber in front thereof. This joint is maintained sufficiently long to permit the abutment 16 to clear the entrance to passage 20, so that the pressure of the steam in said passage will operate to force the piston upwardly against the projection 27, and so aid in tightening the joint. It will be seen that as the member 16 moves from its seat 17 it changes its function from that of a valve controlling admission of steam to the engine to that of an abutment receiving the pressure of the steam following the piston. After the piston 19 leaves the projection 27, the steam now freely following it lifts said piston from its seat and forces its upper rounded edge 22 against the incline 23 of cam projection 13 and then against the inner circumferential periphery of wall 1. Still acting upon said face of the piston the steam flows into the chamber forcing the piston ahead of it and so rotates the ring 11 and shaft 8. hen the piston has nearly completed its stroke, its edge 22 meets the incline of cam projection 13, and the piston is thus gradually forced downward. Similarly the edge 21 of abutment 16 meets the incline 26 of cam projection 18 which gradually raises said abutment: the parts being now in the position shown in Fig. it. As the rotation continues the abutment 16 clears the exhaust port 15 through which the steam is now free to escape. The upper side of piston 19 meets the lower side of abutment l6 and both piston and abutment become folded into their respective recesses. The abutment then shuts off entrance of steam at the inlet 14, Fig. 5, and the operation already described again begins.

Attention is called to the fact that the outer edges 21, 22, of the abutment and the piston are held steam tight against the circumferential walls of chamber 12, by the pressure of the steam itself, and that by the action of the cam projections the rising and falling of both abutment and piston, in order to control admission of steam to and exhaust from said working chamber, are effected smoothly and without shock.

We claim:

1. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a rotatable ring support, a swinging piston thereon, and a valve in said chamber constructed to form an abutment for the working fluid following said piston and operated by said piston intermittently to close said inlet port.

2. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a

jrotatable ring support, a swinging piston thereon, and a swinging valve pivoted to the wall of said chamber and constructed to form an abutment for the working fluid following said piston and operated by said piston intermittently to close said inlet port.

3. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a piston, a swinging valve supported on the circumferential wall of and within said chamber and constructed to form an abutment for the working fluid following said piston and operated by said piston to control admission of working fluid to said chamber, and means for preventing access of working fluid from said inlet directly to the forward side of said piston for a predetermined period after the opening of said valve.

4e. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a rotatable ring and swinging piston thereon, a valve in said chamber operated by said piston intermittently to close said inlet port and constructed to form an abutment for the working fluid following said piston, and means for preventing access of working fluid from said inlet directly to the forward side of said piston for a predetermined period after the opening of said valve.

5. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a swinging valve within said chamber controlling said inlet port and forming an abutment, a rotatable ring support, wherewith the free edge of said valve forms a joint, a swinging piston pivoted to said ring and means on said ring for operating said valve to shut off admission of working fluid during the period of contact of said piston and said valve.

6. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a swinging valve within said chamber coir trolling said inlet port and forming an abutment, a rotatable ring support, wherewith the free edge of said valve forms a joint, a swinging piston pivoted to said ring, means on said ring for operating said valve, close the same and thereby shut off admission of working fluid during the period of contact of said piston and said valve and means for preventing access of working fluid from said inlet to the forward side of said piston for a predetermined period after the release of said valve by said closing means.

7. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a swinging abutment pivoted to the circumferential wall of said chamber and in position to open and close said port, a rotatable ring support, a swinging piston pivoted to said ring, and a projection on said chamber wall in proximity to said inlet port; the aforesaid parts being constructed and arl ranged so that said piston in running under said abutment shall move said abutment to close said inlet port and thereafter on clearing said abutment shall form a joint with said projection whereby working fluid is prevented from directly passing from said inlet port, past said piston and to the chamber space in front thereof.

8. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a cam projection on the circumferential wall of said chamber and traversed by said ports and provided at said inlet port with a shouldered seat, a swinging abutment pivoted to the inner face of said cam projection at one side of said seat and constructed to be received in said seat, a rotatable ring support, a swinging piston, and a cam projection 011 said ring support to which cam pro jection said piston is pivoted at one edge; the aforesaid parts being constructed and arranged so that when said ring cam runs under said wall cam, said piston shall, by contact with said abutment, be forced inward against the said ring cam, and said abutment shall, by contact with said piston, be moved into said seat to close said steam inlet. I

9. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a cam projection on the circumferential wall of said chamber and traversed by said ports, a swinging abutment pivoted to the inner face of said cam projection between said ports, a rotatable ring support, a cam projection carried by said ring and a swinging piston pivoted to the outer face of said last named cam projection; the said cams being constructed and arranged, so that when said ring cam runs under the said wall cam, the said piston shall, by contact with said abutment, be swung inward against said ring cam, and said abutment shall, by contact with said piston, be swung outward to close said steam inlet port.

10. In a rotary engine, an annular working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports,

a cam projection on the circumferential wall of said chamber and traversed by said ports and having a projection on one side of said inlet port, a swinging abutment pivoted to the inner face of said cam in proximity to the side of the inlet port opposite to said projection, a rotatable ring support, a cam carried by said ring, and a swinging piston pivoted to the outer face of said last named cam; the said cams being constructed and arranget so that, first, when said ring cam runs under said wall cam, said piston shall by contact with said abutment, be swung inward against said ring cam, and said abutment shall, by contact with said piston, be swung outward to close said steam inlet; and second, said piston after clearing said abutment and while running under said projection, shall thereby be retained in contact with said ring cam, and prevent access of working fluid from said inlet port and past said piston to the chamber space in front thereof.

11. In a rotary engine, a working chamber having inlet and exhaust ports, a swinging abutment supported on a wall of said chamber on one side of said inlet port, a projection on the said wall and disposed in the opposite side of said inlet port, a rotatable ring support, a cam projection carried by said ring and having a duct for working fluid terminating at its outer face, and a swinging piston 011 said cam projection and constructed to close said duct; whereby when said piston clears said abutment it is retained by said wall projection in contact with the face of said ring cam and forced by the working fluid traversing said duct and acting on its under side against said wall projection.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM D. QUIGLEY. PETER MEYER. lVitnesses GERTRUDE T. PORTER, MAY T. MGGARRY. 

